Matagorda County

Matagorda County was an early home of the Karankawa Indians and the landing place of LaSalle in 1685. It was settled from 1822 to 1836 by colonists of Stephen F. Austin. The municipality of Matagorda was organized under the Mexican government on March 6, 1834, became Matagorda County on March 17, 1836, and the county was organized in July 1837. Matagorda served as the county seat from 1837 to 1894, and Bay City has served as county seat since 1894. Among the early settlers remembered are James Cummins, Hosea H. League, Elias R. Weightman, Seth Ingram, Horatio Chriesman, and William Selkirk. Mary S. Wrightman Helms was the first woman teacher in Texas. Ira Ingram and Silas Densmore were members of the Convention of 1832. R.R. Royals, Ira L. Lewis, and Charles Wilson were delegates to the Consultation. Bailey Hardeman and Samuel Rhodes Fisher signed the Declaration of Independence. George M. Collingsworth and the men who served under him took part in the struggle for Texas independence. A.C. Horton was lieutenant governor of Texas. Early citizens of Matagorda County contributed to economic, cultural, and spiritual development, and the county contributed to the development of Texas culture through Mary S. Wrightman Helms in 1829, the Matagorda Bulletin in 1837, the First Episcopal Church in 1839, and Ira Ingram's 1837 request for promotion of free school.

Bay City, Texas · United States